The Half Time Show
by KKCopper
Summary: Various stories that I imagined to occur between the books. WARNING: Stories may cause laughter.  Rated T cause Im paranoid XD
1. Author's Note

_**(A/N: Okay, so I must admit that I got this idea from WolfButler, who writes so pretty lol AF stories, but not entirely. I love AF too much to not wonder what must have gone on inbetween the stories or during the parts they don't mention. So here are a few that I liked to think of a lot.**_

_**WARNING: Some of these stories may cause uncontrollable laughter or wetting of the pants. If you are sad and wish to stay so, DO NOT read these~ But, also, some may make you be overly aware of others feeling around you and may cause sorrow or a sudden realization of how much you care for your family. Very heart-warming and humorous at the same time.)**_

_**LOL you have been warned ~KKCopper )**_


	2. Bonding Time

_**(A/N: Mood… Laughter~… you have been warned.)**_

"There's got to be laws against torture for a certain amount of time…" Foaly muttered under his breath as he sat in his office chair.

"Shut up," Mulch said as he ransacked a food pantry. He looked over his shoulder to wink at the centaur. "You know you love me."

Foaly rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're even here. If it weren't for Holly –"

Mulch rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, '_I_ wouldn't be here'. I know, I know. Actually, you're the lucky one."

Foaly rolled his eyes, knowing he didn't have to say anymore for Mulch to be guaranteed to continue.

"You are blessed with my presence," Mulch finished, as Foaly knew he would have. "I am a gift to you. I–" Just then, Mulch let out a large belch, cutting off his own words.

Foaly was about to argue back when Holly spoke through her headphone.

"Shut-UP you two," she snapped, "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Sorry Holly…" both muttered (Mulch through a mouth full of food) simultaneously.

Holly was out in the field. She was just heading out to get a Ritual completed, but she'd been forced to listen to the two bicker the whole time due to the fact that Foaly left his microphone on to her communication set.

"Foaly, turn off the microphone would you?" Holly asked as politely as she could manage in her mood.

Foaly sighed. "Yes Holly," he said, and then turned off the microphone to leave Holly in peace.

Mulch turned to look at him, a smug grin on his face. "What's it feel like to have your closest friend angry at you?"

Foaly got up off of his chair and scowled at the dwarf. Mulch just laughed and Foaly shook his head.

"I don't know what she sees in you, honestly," he muttered.

"She sees what everyone sees;" Mulch replied simply, "my charm."

"Always so modest," Foaly said, sarcasm thick in his voice.

"Oh, like your any better. You're Mr. 'I-invented-everything-including-the-air-you-breath'. How's THAT modesty?" Mulch retorted.

"Never said I _was _modest," Foaly muttered in pathetic defense. In truth, he liked Mulch and he knew Mulch liked him, but they always showed their love by tossing insults back and forth. It got on Holly's nerves, which was an occasional added bonus.

Mulch just chuckled as he chowed down on a bag of chips.

The two didn't talk for a bit. Both sat down and watched Holly as she worked, through the plasma screen. Then, Mulch got an evil idea.

"Hey, Foaly," he said in a soft voice.

Foaly turned to look at him, his expression wary. "Yes Mulch?"

Mulch batted his eyes, giving Foaly the best "innocent" look he could manage. "What would you do… if I began to sing Justin Bieber songs?"

Foaly groaned. "Please… no…" he tried to beg, but it was too late.

"BABY, BABY, BABY, NO!" Mulch all but shouted/sung. He sounded like a sick, dying ox. He knew that Foaly absolutely _despised_ Justin Bieber. He was sure that he was a pixie in human form because of his girl voice, but he'd never proven this theory of his.

Foaly groaned and covered his ears with his hoofs. "Mulch!" he shouted and moaned in protest. "You're terrible!"

Mulch continued on, his smiled broad, happy he'd found a good way to annoy Foaly without getting any comebacks out of him. "BABY, BABY, BABY OH! THOUGHT YOU'D ALWAYS BE MINE!"

"You're worse than he is!" Foaly snapped at the dwarf. Mulch paused only to scowl at him, for he hated Justin Bieber too, agreeing with the centaur (for once) that he indeed sang like a pixie, so that was an insult, but Mulch wasn't known for his beautiful singing voice.

Mulch continued on anyways, much to Foaly's disappointment.

"I WAS LIKE, BABY, BABY, BABY, OH!" he yowled at the top of his lungs.

Foaly knew he couldn't get Mulch to stop on his own, so he turned back to the computer monitor, doing his best to ignore the screeches and yowls of Mulch's singing from behind him as he focused on what Holly was doing.

Lucky for him (but not for her) she's just finished the Ritual.

Foaly instantly turned the mic back on. "Holly help me!" he shouted into the microphone over Mulch's "singing".

Holly stopped in her hovering and covered her ears with her hands. "D' Arvit!" she'd shouted when Foaly had turned on the noise again. "Mulch, shut your trap! You're killing my brain cells!"

Mulch stopped, his expression sullen. "Fine, be that way," he snapped. Then he instantly became his usual teasing self. "You're just jealous that I can sing and you can't. I shall go share my talent elsewhere."

Mulch turned to stomp off in a diva way when Foaly and Holly spoke.

"Who's jealous? I'm happy you're leaving," Foaly stated.

Holly answered, "The only talent you have is the talent to annoy people, and any other talent is all in your head."

Mulch stopped and turned back around. He went over to Foaly and hugged him. "I love you too," he said in a "mushy-gushy" voice.

Foaly wrinkled his nose, a disgusted look on his face. He pushed Mulch away. "Get off me smelly," he said.

Mulch sniggered. " 'Smelly'," he mocked. "THAT'S the best you could manage?"

Foaly was about to respond when, again, Holly cut him off.

"I can NEVER leave you two alone together for ANY length of time CAN I?" she snapped.

Both Foaly and Mulch turned to look at the screen. Mulch shook his head while Foaly said, apologetically, "We are getting better."

"Yeah," Mulch agreed (another rare thing), "at least we didn't blow anything up this time."

"THIS time," Holly scoffed, remembering the incident that occurred when the two had been together in a room for an extended length of time… Let's just say the "accident" had been ALL _natural_…

"I'm going to turn off MY headphones now. I trust that you two can KEEP from exploding anything until I return," Holly told them sternly.

"Yes mommy," Mulch cut in before Foaly could say anything.

Foaly, ignoring Mulch completely, turned to face the screen. "You have my word Holly," he said, but a bit of a smile was playing on his face from Mulch's response.

Holly rolled her eyes. "I'll be fast," she said. Then she turned off her hearing.


	3. That's What Butler's For

_**(A/N: Sorry, there was supposed to be another one before this one, but I'm having some "writer's block" on it, so I thought up this one instead. A special thanks to Wolf Butler for writing all those awesome AF stories~ Keep writing! This is somewhere between books 6-7… Enjoy!)**_

_**(Mood: … Funny… You've been warned~)**_

"Butler, what would you say if I asked you to teach me how to shoot a gun?"

Artemis's question surprised Butler as he was polishing his gun. It had quite literally come out of nowhere.

"Well," Butler started, turning to look at his charge, "I'd have to admit that I'd be shocked if you asked, mostly because I've tried to teach you before and you've never shown any interest, but I'd teach you."

Artemis nodded to himself. "Will you teach me then?"

Butler nodded, too. "Of course, though I am curious as to why you asked…"

"Well, I figured I might as well learn… just in case something would happen," Artemis told him.

Butler sighed. "When do you want to start?"

Artemis grinned. "When do you think would be best?"

"Tomorrow morning, early," Butler said as he thought to himself, _"so your parents don't hear anything break…"_

Artemis nodded; it was a little after 9 o'clock at night now. "You'll have to wake me… but that sounds good." He let one more small grin show on his face.

Butler was nervous already.

…

Butler woke-up at 4:30 a.m. the next morning to prepare. He wouldn't wake up Artemis until 5 though.

He headed downstairs silently and went to the room where he kept all of his guns. He selected a small pistol that was light weight and had very little kick to it, good for beginners. Then he loaded it and slipped it into one of his holsters.

Next, he found some targets and took them outside (facing away from the house or anything else that would break easily) for Artemis to use.

Butler sighed, it was time to wake Artemis… 5 o'clock was early for him; he hoped it wouldn't affect his s and shooting skills… (If he had any).

Butler headed slowly back inside and up to his master's room. He opened the door slowly.

"Artemis, time to get up," he said.

Artemis mumbled something and turned over in bed.

Yep, too early.

Butler sighed, considering waiting 20 more minutes to wake him… Then decided he shouldn't wait. He stepped into the room.

"Artemis…" he almost coaxed, "do you want to learn how to shoot a gun or not?"

Artemis sighed (obviously hearing him and was reluctant, still, to wake) and rolled over to look at his bodyguard. "I'm up," he said.

Butler cracked a grin. "I can see that," he said as he backed up towards the door. "If you don't want to learn today, I understand."

This time, Artemis grinned at him. "You're nervous," he noticed.

Butler looked at him. "Only for you," he said, "I may not be able to protect you from yourself."

Artemis, still grinning, shook his head. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he said. "Now leave so I can change."

Butler nodded and headed out of the room, but before he shut the door he said, "It's a bit cold outside, so dress warm." Then he shut the door.

Butler headed downstairs and waited for Artemis to come down, too.

Fifteen minutes later, he did, and he was wearing a light camo jacket that Juliet had got him for his 15th birthday, but he'd never worn it until now.

Butler chuckled a bit. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Artemis nodded. "As I'll ever be…" he admitted.

Butler shook his head, smiling. His anxiety was returning. "Then let's go, before your parents dare wake."

Butler headed out the back door, holding it open behind him for Artemis, and then led them over to the targets. He stopped about 10 yards back from them.

Artemis looked nervously at the targets; they were quite small in his opinion.

Butler got out the pistol he had chosen for Artemis earlier and handed it to his charge, butt first. Artemis picked it up nervously and inspected it.

"Hey!" Butler said, ducking, "Watch where you are pointing that, it IS loaded." Grant it, the safety was on, but you never knew….

Artemis quickly pointed it at the ground. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

Butler straightened back up and began to instruct his charge on gun safety. "ALWAYS assume a gun is loaded, with that in mind; NEVER point a gun at something you aren't willing to shoot, no matter what."

Artemis nodded, and Butler continued.

"Always keep the safety on, never turn it off unless you are preparing to shoot something," he instructed.

A semi-confused look crossed Artemis's face (something that didn't happen very often).

Butler sighed. He reached out and turned Artemis's gun so he could see the red point sticking out of the gun. Butler gestured to it. "THAT'S the safety," he explained. "When you can see the red, it's on, which means you can't shoot the gun. You'd need to turn it off first."

Artemis nodded, his confusion gone.

"Now, when you are actually shooting a gun, you do three things," Butler explained. "First, make sure you have good balance, and make sure your hands are steady. Point your gun at what you want to hit, and use the guide on top to aim." Butler whipped out his Sig Sauer and showed his charge, aiming for the target.

"Next, you turn off the safety," as he said this, Butler turned his off.

"Then, either hold your breath, or slowly exhale as you _squeeze _the trigger, nice and slow," he finished, doing all this and hitting the target, dead center. "Never be inhaling when you are shooting, it messes up your stability."

Artemis nodded. For most people, this would be a bit too much to take in at once, but he was absorbing it like a sponge.

"Stability, Safety, Exhale," Artemis repeated.

Butler nodded. "Exactly," he said. "Do you want to try?"

Artemis nodded, instantly a bit nervous. Luckily, they didn't have any close neighbors….

Artemis spread his feet apart, getting good balance, and held up his gun, looking over the top of it at the target. He turned off his safety and decided to hold his breath and he squeeze the trigger.

The pistol fired…

But he missed the target he was aiming for by a good yard, actually his a tree a few feet behind (and off to the side) of it.

Artemis grinned sheepishly, straightening back up.

"Don't worry, good aim takes practice," Butler comforted. "Go again."

Butler watched as his charge did his steps again about 7 times… all 7 times never getting anywhere near the target, he actually hit another target (about 2 yards over) once…

Artemis was almost blushing after his 8th shot. He missed again… _"That poor tree…"_ he thought to himself.

"Really, Artemis, you aren't doing THAT bad…" Butler started, but then Artemis cut in.

"Just admit it, I couldn't hit the side of a barn," he said, still a bit flushed.

Butler put his hands up. "You're words, not mine," he told him.

"You were thinking it," Artemis accused.

Butler nodded, giving in, "Maybe just a little."

Artemis sighed. "So… I _sort of_ know how to shoot a gun… but I couldn't hit a person to save my life…" he concluded.

Butler came over to his charge and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's what I'm here for, and as long as I _am_ here, you'll never have to pick up another gun outside of target practice."

Artemis smiled meekly, and thankfully, at his bodyguard. "Lord knows you are better at shooting than I am."

Butler nodded. "I am," he said without a hint of boasting, he was just stating a fact, "but I had years to get to where I am now."

Artemis took some comfort in that.

"I promise I won't retire anytime soon, so you'll be fine," Butler told him.

Artemis nodded. "Thank you friend."

Butler patted his shoulder again. "It's what I'm here for."


	4. Beaten Up by a Girl

_**(A/N: Okay, so I got this idea from "Shake it Up" on Disney Channel *love that show~*. I hope you guys like it… I'm still debating on whether or not I should make a full story out of it, so you guys must help me and vote on it on my page. If I did it would get changed a bit, but not much...~ Thnx, now ENJOY~~)**_

_**(Mood… Laughter… You've been warned~ TIME: B.T.B *before the books*)**_

10 year old Artemis had simply been walking down the hall of the manor, towards his study, when she attacked.

"Hey Artemis!" Juliet greeted, patting him on the shoulder suddenly, making him jump.

Artemis paused and turned to look at his bodyguard's younger sister. "Juliet, what's so important that you have to scare me like that?"

Juliet laughed. "Not much, it's just fun," she told him, smiling and giving him a wink.

Artemis rolled his eyes. "For YOU maybe it is."

Artemis began walking again, hoping the girl would leave him alone…

No such luck. Juliet followed him down the hall,

"So, watcha up to?" she asked him, prancing in front of him and then walking backwards in front of him.

"Watcha is not a word," Artemis pointed out, not answering the question.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "NERD," she told him plainly. "You never did answer my question."

"I'm heading to my study, why?" Artemis persisted.

Juliet shrugged. "Well, you're always there, it's just so…" she stopped in front of him, making him stop to. Artemis sighed in frustration as she thought.

"Routine… BORING," she finally decided. Then she began to walk backwards again before Artemis could go around her. "I mean, come on, you're in there SO much! It's MAY make you smart, but it's also making you weak at the same time. I bet I could flip you right now and there would be nothing you could do to stop me."

Artemis was about to argue when, suddenly, Juliet did just that, pinning him to the ground in a second.

"See?" she said, smug that she had proved her point. "YOU just got beat up by a girl."

Artemis scowled. "YOU don't _count_; any other kid wouldn't stand a chance."

Juliet snorted. "In a _chess_ competition."

Artemis was about to argue again when Juliet suddenly flipped him over onto his back and held one of his arms behind his back.

"Beat you _again_!" she sang happily.

"Butler!" Artemis shouted.

Suddenly, the weight was off of his back. He heard a slight thud as Juliet was pinned against the wall.

"You okay?" Butler asked his young charge as Juliet struggled uselessly in his grip. Then she sighed, finally giving up.

Artemis stood and brushed himself off. He glared at Juliet as he answered Butler. "Yes, I'm fine."

Butler nodded and then turned his gaze to his sister who smiled sheepishly at him. "What have I told you about picking on him?" he asked her, his voice stern.

Juliet sighed. "Ta not ta," she answered, imitating Mater off of Cars.

"Ta _isn't_ a word either…" Artemis grumbled under his breath. Juliet stuck out her tongue at him.

"And what have I told YOU about antagonizing her with your grammar OCD?" Butler questioned Artemis.

"It's not an OCD!" he protested.

Butler raised one eyebrow and Artemis stared right back at him. He didn't flinch, determined to win.

"Answer the question," Butler instructed him in a hard tone.

"To _not_ antagonize her," Artemis said sullenly, giving in.

Butler nodded. "EXACTLY, now, if I let you go," he started, looking back at his little sister, "will you promise not to attack him again?"

"It wasn't an _attack_… it was me proving a point…" Juliet grumbled.

Butler scowled at her; her was starting to get a bit tired of them both not answering his questions right away.

"I promise," Juliet answered then, realizing his mood.

Butler nodded and let go, his mouth a firm line.

"Wimp…" Juliet breathed, glancing at Artemis.

"I am not!" Artemis shouted back, instantly defensive.

"You couldn't do a push up if you tried! Jogging to the car would make you break out into a sweat," Juliet said back.

Artemis scowled. "PROVE it!"

Juliet smirked, pointing down the steps. "Run down the steps, outside and back in under 2 minutes."

Artemis's eyes widened a bit. He'd been hoping she _wouldn't_ prove it…

Juliet laughed and Butler stepped in, defending his charge.

"ATTACK includes verbal abuse," Butler told her sternly.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "I'm _right_ you know," she said plainly.

Artemis scowled at her around Butler and Juliet leaned around him, too. She jabbed her thumb in her big brother's direction.

"If HE wasn't here for you all the time SO many people would have beaten you up already," Juliet told him.

"NOT true!" Artemis shouted back.

"OH YEAH, well we should just call up some kids and see what happens," Juliet challenged, knowing Artemis wouldn't say no.

She was right, before her brother can speak, Artemis did.

"FINE, do it, I dare you!" he snapped.

Juliet grinned. "OH, believe me, I _will_," she told him before heading off down the stairs. Artemis scowled and headed the rest of the way to his study, slamming the door behind him, leaving Butler alone in the hallway.

Butler sighed, shaking his head. What had Artemis gotten himself into?

… … … … … … … … …

Artemis was sitting in his study 3 hours later when Juliet walked in, grinning from ear to ear.

Artemis sighed and turned around in his chair to look at her as she shut the door behind her. "YES?" he asked. "What do you want?"

He was afraid of the answer… For the first hour after his "deal" with Juliet, he'd REALLY thought about his agreement to her challenge… He completely regretted it…

"I rounded up some kids, friends of mine and there little siblings," she told him smugly.

"And they wish to fight me?" Artemis asked her, wincing mentally at the statement.

Juliet nodded, laughing. "MAN you look pale," she joked. "OF COURSE they want to fight you; it's every kid's dream to have an _excuse_ to beat up a nerd."

Artemis scowled. "Does the MAJOR or BUTLER know about this? Them being here, that is?" Artemis persisted, trying to find a way out of going down there.

Juliet grinned. "I don't care about Butler, he was there during the conversation, he should see it coming."

Artemis raised one eyebrow, his arms folded across his chest now. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

This time, Juliet scowled. "What the Major doesn't know won't kill him…"

"Heart attacks are the leading cause of death you know," Artemis pointed out, smirking.

Juliet threw her hands up in the air. "He just WON'T know okay! He's in _South America_ with your _father _right now for heaven's sake!"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "DISTANCE won't stop the Major from finding out about our doings, correction, YOUR doings," Artemis told her, smirking because he knew he was right.

Juliet took a step closer to him. "THIS is why kids want to _beat you up_," she snapped.

Artemis scowled, rising from his chair. "FINE, I'll fight them!" he shouted at her.

Juliet grinned and Artemis continued to scowl. She was probably the _only_ person who REALLY got under his skin…

"This way," Juliet sang, turning around like her mood did.

Artemis grumbled incoherently under his breath and reluctantly followed her.

"You know," Juliet started as they headed down the stairs, "it's going to be really hard to fight anyone in those clothes."

"MY BAD, I don't usually dress for COMBAT every morning like SOME people," Artemis snapped at her, she was getting on his last nerves…

"Hm… sucks for you, because it's too late to change," Juliet sang again as she opened the doors to Butler's large training room…

Six kids looked up (4 girls, 2 boys), when they walked in. Juliet greeted them by name and the girls smiled at her, waving at Artemis. The boys, on the other hand, looked eager to start.

Their ages ranged from his age to about Juliet's age.

He was gonna die. He knew he couldn't fight if his life depended on it, but Juliet always knew how to make him say _exactly_ what she wanted him to, and what he _didn't_ want to.

"Artemis, meet your competition," Juliet told him, smiling as she gestured to the people she had gathered.

The boys snickered. Yep, dead meat.

Artemis merely forced a smile at them… Then, Juliet waved the first one up, a girl his age…

"And… go!" Juliet shouted. The girl charged him and tackled him to the ground. Artemis pushed him off of her, for she was surprisingly light, but then he didn't know really what to do… EVEN THOUGH he'd seen Butler fight people so many times… there was no way he could imitate him…

He could try though…

Artemis threw a punch at the girl and she dodged it, prancing on her feet. MAN were little girls agile…

Unlike himself…

The girl suddenly dove between his feet. Once behind him, she yanked hard on both of his legs, making him fall. She then quickly sat down on him.

Juliet came over snickering. "We have a winner!" she sang, raising the girl's hand who was only smiling.

"Next!" Juliet shouted as the girl went back over by the others and Artemis stood up.

"Isn't one enough?" Artemis complained.

Juliet beamed at him as another kid got up. "When I said 'SO many kids would have beaten you up by now' I meant it, so 'kids' still means plural," she told him.

Artemis groaned.

The next kid who came over was another girl, just a bit bigger than him.

"GO!" Juliet shouted.

Artemis was pinned in a second.

The next one was also a girl. This time, Artemis managed to stay on his feet for a minute before getting shoved to the ground and sat on again. What was in with girls and sitting on boys?

The four girls all beat him… The first boy was Artemis's age, but he was WAY buffer than him… Artemis groaned as Juliet waited to give the start signal…

"BEGIN!" Juliet sang, prancing out of the way as the boy charged Artemis.

Artemis quickly ducked, covering his head and the boy flew over him. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run away, but the boy was faster and… well… he tripped.

The boy pinned him.

By the time the last boy was up, Artemis was sweating bullets, his hair all messed up, clothes disheveled the works… He panted as he planned on simply surrendering right away to this one, for he appeared to be Juliet's age and looked as though he was on a football team…

Of course, Artemis wasn't only thinking about surrendering, he was also thinking about how Butler hadn't shown up yet…

As if the heavens had heard his pathetic plea, right before Juliet could shout "ATTACK" Butler stormed in.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?" he thundered, rushing over to Artemis, glaring daggers at the boy in front of him who instantly scrambled over to his friends.

Artemis fell back onto his butt the second Butler stood over him, he was tired. He put his head in his hands as Butler shouted at his sister.

"WELL?" he shouted.

"Artemis agreed to bet earlier, I was just going through with it," Juliet told him, stepping back a bit as Butler continued to glare at her.

Butler scowled, then turned his fury to the helpless, defenseless kids. "OUT!" he shouted, pointing towards the door. All the kids quickly scrambled to their feet and did as told.

"I won…" Juliet breathed, just having to get it in. Artemis lifted up his head and glared up at her from between Butler's legs.

"NOT NOW," Butler growled at her. When the last kid was out, he started again.

"WHY ON EARTH DID YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS?" Butler yelled at her, his expression furious.

Juliet opened her mouth to speak and Butler cut her off.

"You should have KNOWN that I DIDN'T want you to GO THROUGH with it!" he snapped, calming down just a fraction. "I DIDN'T even LIKE you BARELY pinning him to the ground! WHAT on EARTH would make you think I would even POSSIBLY approve of THIS?"

Juliet didn't answer, casting her gaze to the floor. Butler softened up… When it came to Juliet, he could never stay mad at her long…

… but the Major could… and Butler knew he'd find out eventually.

Butler sighed and turned around to face Artemis. He knelt down in front of his charge and began to examine him.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked him, concerned.

Artemis shrugged, wincing a bit. "I'm sort of sore… and definitely tired…"

Butler scowled a bit. "Well, you'll probably be a bit sore tomorrow… and you may have a few bruises… but nothing major…"

Butler cast a glare over his shoulder at his sister. Then, he stood up and helped Artemis to his feet.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," he told the boy gently and they headed out of the room.

Right before they left, Butler cast a glance back at his sister. "WE will talk about this later," he mouthed to her, and then shut the door.

_**(A/N: Hope you liked it~ FINALLY had a full idea! REMEMBER PLEASE vote on the new poll on my page as to if you want a full story for this one or not~ THANKS! REVIEW~~~~)**_


	5. Fluffy

_**(A/N: Not that any of you guys would know this, but I have, like 3, different chapters for this story going on at once, XD. I can never finish ONE at the same time I start it *stupid writer's block*. **_

_**SO I got this idea because my cousin's dog is missing *sad reasoning I know*, but here's a Butler family story~ Time: B.T.B *see previous chapter for meaning*…ENJOY ~~)**_

_**(Mood… Funny… and sorta sad or touching *whichever word you prefer*…. You've been warned)**_

Juliet, age 10, was skipping around outside while Butler was raking some leaves in the Fowl's backyard garden.

Butler sighed as his younger sister continued her movement. He paused in his raking to look up at her. "Would you please stop?"

Juliet paused, tossing a confused look at him. "_Why_?" she asked.

Butler only shook his head. "Do I need a reason?" Then, when Juliet nodded he continued, "Fine, if you MUST have a reason, it's because you are stirring up the leaves, only making my job harder."

Juliet scowled. "FINE, I'll stop," she told him, but she still continued to wander around. Butler shook his head in defeat, not pestering her any further.

Juliet paused when she neared the bushes, she'd heard a noise. She glanced over at Butler and, when noticing that he hadn't reacted, so she shrugged it off. She continued to wander around the bushes, though, when she heard it again. This time, she decided to investigate.

She neared the bushes and squatted down to peer into them. At first, she couldn't find anything… but then, she saw it.

"Kitty!" Juliet squealed (she adored little animals), as she scooped up the tiny grey fur ball out of the bushes. She cuddled it to her chest excitedly. "I'm going to call you… Fluffy," she decided, informing the little animal of its new name.

Butler stopped was he was doing (again) when he heard his sister squeal. He looked around, concerned, and when he spotted her he went over to her.

"Juliet, what is it?" he asked her. Juliet beamed up at him and showed him the shaking ball of fur in her hands. Butler sighed, knowing exactly what she was going to say next.

"Can we keep her, PLEASE? I promise to look after Fluffy all by myself and –" she all but begged.

"_Oh no, she's already named it…" _he groaned mentally, but then he had to cut in to Juliet's plead.

Butler closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Juliet, we've been over this before. What have I _always_ told you about stray animals?"

Juliet dropped her head. "That we can't keep them because this isn't _our_ house…"

"AND?" Butler persisted.

Juliet sighed, rolling her eyes this time. "That Artemis doesn't like animals…"

Butler nodded. Then, though, seeing the hurt look on his little sister's face, he squatted down so he could look her in the eyes and placed one massive hand on her head (almost engulfing it).

"Look squirt, I'm sorry. You know that if we lived somewhere else, or if Artemis didn't hate critters, that I'd say yes, but that's not the situation," he told her.

Juliet's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked up at her brother. "What if we just don't tell Artemis?" she suggested.

"Juliet… you know as well as I do how THAT would turn out. BESIDES, the Major doesn't really like little creatures either," Butler reminded her sternly. Juliet sighed, downcast again, but she nodded.

"Okay, I'll let her go," she said sullenly.

Butler patted her on the head and couldn't resist saying, "Good girl," before rising again and returning to his raking. Butler figured that was the end of it… He was also shocked it had been _that_ easy. He had a nagging feeling that he was being very... Well, that he was _missing_ something, _over-looking_ something very obvious… but he dispelled the thought from his mind and returned to his raking. He knew he'd never see that cat again…

…. …. …. …. ….

Again ended rather quickly, in fact it ended only two days later when Butler woke up at 5 a.m. to Artemis screaming his name.

"BUTLER!" he shouted as the man servant rolled out of bed, his gun already in his hand, and dashed down the hall.

Butler burst into the room to find Artemis curled up on one side of his bed and Juliet standing on the other side of the room, opposite him, holding something…

"_How did she get in here before I did?"_ Butler wondered as he assessed the situation. Was he really getting that old?

"NOW look what you did!" Juliet snapped at Artemis who merely scowled at her.

"What _I_ did? YOU are the one who brought that- … that- THING into the house!" Artemis shouted at her.

"Wait, what thing? What's going on?" Butler asked, lowering his gun. That's when he really saw what Juliet was holding… a little ball of grey fur.

"Juliet…" Butler started, his voice very much like a mother's "I-know-this-is-your-fault-you-disobeyed-me-didn't-you?" voice. "I hope that's not what I think it is."

Juliet clutched the, now meowing fur ball closer to her. "Fluffy wasn't hurting ANYBODY," she told him, defending her actions. "She didn't have a home Butler! She was cold and hungry and–" she probably would have gone one with an extensive list as to why she was allowed to break Butler's rules in order to save this cat, but Artemis cut her off.

"SHE isn't supposed to BE here! You know how I hate cats Butler!" Artemis shouted, now turning on his bodyguard.

Oh great, so he was going to blame it on him. Butler couldn't see this ending very well.

Butler sighed. "Artemis, you know this isn't _my_ fault. In FACT–" he turned to cast an accusing glare at him little sister, who shied back a bit, still holding "Fluffy" protectively, "_I _told her to get rid of the cat when she first found it but SHE didn't listen."

Juliet scowled at him, but she knew she was in major trouble.

Of course, she'd be in even MORE trouble if the Major had heard the ruckus and decided to investigate. He hated animals even more than Artemis did. His excuse for his feelings was that anyone could train and use an animal to get access to the manor and its secrets. It was very stupid in Juliet's mind.

Artemis turned his glare to Juliet and pointed to the window. "Toss it out NOW," he told her sternly. His voice sent a bit of a shiver up her spine. She couldn't believe that a _6 year old _boy could _scare _HER, but he did.

Juliet shook her head vigorously. Artemis scowled and was about to shout when Juliet spoke.

"At least let me take her to a shelter! It's _freezing _out, she's just a little _baby_. She could DIE!" Juliet protested a bit loudly.

Butler was about to warn her to quiet down, when she did at the end. HE didn't want the Major involved in this either.

Artemis still didn't look very _pleased_ with the situation, but he did have a bit of a smug look in his eyes. He knew this was going to go his way.

Butler finally completely (as much as he possibly can, anyways) relaxed and walked over to his sister.

"Look, how about we do that? You go get some clothes on, and I will too, and then we can head over to the shelter and drop… Fluffy off," he told her softly, one hand on her shoulder.

"Right now?" Juliet asked him.

"Yes! The sooner the better," Artemis grumbled, making his way back up to his pillow and crawling under the covers. He knew the discussion was over.

Juliet sighed. "Alright," she breathed, giving in. Butler didn't like seeing her upset like this… but he knew it was for the best. The cat REALLY wouldn't live long here, or outside… plus, it was a kitten, so Butler knew they could find it a good home.

Juliet allowed her older brother to usher her out of the room and back to her own. Once she shut the door behind her, Butler headed back to his own room and quickly dressed. He was done even before his sister.

Butler headed back over to his sister's room, waiting patiently as she finished and came out with jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket on with boots in hand.

The jacket was zipped up with a bulge in the middle, which Juliet was cradling. Butler figured it was Fluffy… but he had to ask, he didn't want her to try and leave it- her… here.

"The cat?" Butler asked (assumed) gesturing to her jacket. Juliet nodded and unzipped it enough so that the grey head could pop itself out.

"Mew," Fluffy said and Juliet stroked its head. Juliet sighed.

"Come on…" Butler whispered. Juliet looked up at him and nodded, biting down on her lower lip. Then, Butler led them out to the Bentley.

Juliet climbed into the passenger's seat silently as Butler climbed into the driver's seat. He started up the car and soon they were on the road.

"Okay, so I want the whole story," Butler began as he drove, flashing a glance over at his sibling. "HOW and WHY did you keep the cat?"

"Well…" Juliet started, petting Fluffy unconsciously, "after you told me to her down… I did… inside of my jacket. Then, I quickly headed inside, telling you I had to go to bathroom, and I went to my room… I grabbed a shoe box and cut holes in it and put Fluffy in there. She's been in my room for 4 days. I've been feeding her, taking her outside… and she'd slept with me at night by my bed on my pillow…"

"WHY?" Butler reminded her.

Juliet shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I couldn't stand the thought of her being out in the cold all night!"

Butler sighed. "In my opinion, that's NOT a good enough excuse to disobey me, but okay…. Now, HOW did the cat get in ARTEMIS'S _room_?" he questioned accusingly.

Juliet took in a shaky breath. "I went to sleep with her by my head like usual… but around 4:50 I felt her move… I woke-up and she was gone. I dashed out of my room searching for her and saw her tail disappear into Artemis's open door…"

"_WHY was his door open? I always close it at night…"_ Butler wondered to himself, a bit worried by the thought, as she continued.

"… so I chased her in there, but she was too quick and had jumped up on Artemis's pillow, sniffing his face… Her whiskers tickled him and he woke up. He freaked out and scrambled out from under his covers and away from the cat. I scooped her up and tried to calm him down, but that's when he shouted for you…" Juliet finished, not looking at her brother but down at the cat that had caused this huge mess.

Butler shook his head as he pulled to a stop in front of the shelter. "We are not done talking about this," he told her as he got out.

Juliet was quiet as they headed inside. Luckily, there were always volunteers at the shelter as some animals needed 24/7 care.

A young lady noticed them when they stepped inside. Butler put an arm around his little sister as he spoke.

"We found this stray kitten out in our yard and, unfortunately, we can't keep it ourselves. We couldn't bear to leave it in the cold, though, so we were hoping you could take it off of our hands," Butler explained to the lady. She nodded.

"Of course we can, she'll find a good home rather quickly, too, and never be cold again," she reassured us happily. Then, she squatted down to Juliet's level. "Do you have any requests for this kitten sweetie?"

Juliet nodded. "Yes, her name is Fluffy… I was wondering if you could keep her name for me…" Juliet told her.

The lady nodded, smiling. "Of course we can sweetie. I promise Fluffy will be in good hands."

Juliet nodded, a tear coming to her eyes. She lifted Fluffy up and gave her a kiss on the nose.

"Mew?" the cat practically asked as Juliet looked him in the eyes. She sniffled a bit.

"Bye Fluffy, I love you…" Juliet whispered and then she handed the cat to the lady. Then she turned around and buried her face in Butler's shirt.

Butler was a bit unsettled bit his sister's reaction and quickly shooed the lady away before gently putting his hand back on his sister's shoulder and ushering her outside and back over to the Bentley.

He opened the door for her and she slowly climbed in, her eyes closed as she sniffled, trying to control the tears.

Butler shut the door quietly behind her and then headed around the vehicle and also got in. He started up the car silently and they headed back to the manor without another word.

_3 months later…_

Butler sighed as his sister dashed away yet again. He'd decided to take her shopping with him (for once) after she'd begged persistently to come, but he was starting to regret it. She was constantly rushing off after "shiny objects" and it was getting on his last nerve.

Butler headed after her, about to start rebuking her again on how she wasn't staying close to him, when he noticed what she'd found this time.

In her arms was a small stuffed cat… A small GREY stuffed cat… that looked _exactly_ like… _Fluffy_.

Juliet looked up at him with her pleading puppy-dog begging stare.

"Can I get it… _please_?" she whispered, batting her eyelashes hopefully.

Butler couldn't refuse her, especially after how she'd reacted to having to give Fluffy up. She hadn't come out of her room for 3 days… Though the Major finally managed to drag her out the 4th day after he'd discovered what'd occurred the 4 days earlier.

"Sure Jules, you can get it," he told her, ruffling her hair with one hand, and for once, she didn't care.

"Yeah!" she squealed happily and skipped ahead of him down the aisle with her new favorite toy.

Butler smiled, sometimes being a big brother really paid off.

_**(A/N: WELL? Watcha think? I hope you guys liked it! *ANOTHER thing that made me think of this was a tiny Chihuahua puppy I saw in the mall yesterday, SO cute! REVIEW please~ and thanks for reading!)**_


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